This Girl Can

Sport England’s latest campaign to get more girls playing sport has completely hit the mark. This Girl Can takes an honest, unapologetic approach aimed at empowering females to get involved in physical activity.

When setting up Hackney Laces, I looked into loads of studies about the barriers that stop girls – especially teenage ones – from taking part, like this study conducted by the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation which cites body consciousness as the main barrier for engaging in activities. From my experience with Laces, sometimes it’s less about girls being body conscious and more about not knowing what to expect from a sport and the fear of not being a pro the first time they kick a ball.

That’s why this ad campaign is ace. We shouldn’t care if we’re slow or uncoordinated or sweaty or look like an alien in swimming goggles. We should embrace these things and just play.

*Update 02.03.2015* | Full disclosure: We’ve just found out that Laces will be working with the This Girl Campaign. Whooo! This post still stands as an endorsement of how brilliant the campaign is, it beared no weight in their decision to support us.